Artie Ketchum
by fwingsnitch
Summary: Ash isn't Ash anymore. His body has been stolen by Arthur, the worst kid you will ever meet. Now Ash is in Arthur's body. Little does he know that Arthur plans on finishing him off for good. Pokeshipping, rated T for language. Read and review!
1. Soot

Ash was enraged now. "You can take my body-you can even take my life! But nobody, I repeat, NOBODY takes Misty from me!" "Care to test that theory, soot?" Pokeshipping, rated T for language.  
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Oh my GOSH!!!!! I can't BELIEVE I haven't thought of this yet! I mean, I don't mean to sound full of myself, but this is a AWESOME idea!

So yeah, actually, I got this idea when I was playing Paper Mario. Yes, I got my inspiration from a video game yet again. Just stay with me here, okay?

So I was playing this level where your body gets stolen, and you turn into a nameless shadow. Then, at the end, you have to fight not only yourself, but all of your partners as well. It was such a great level, I just had to make it into a fanfic.

I think your all really going to hate Arthur. He is the perfect villain.

Enjoy!  
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Okay, so, just so you know, here's what happened: Ash won the Sinnoh league, but lost to Cynthia. He then came back home to Pallet town and met Brock and Misty again. Ash is 14 now, Misty's 15, and Brock is 20. They're all exploring the woods now. Just because they want to.

Chapter 1: Soot

"Eek!" Misty Waterflower cowered in fear.

"Lemme guess," Ash Ketchum said, rolling his eyes, "you just saw a bug." Misty had been afraid of bugs since Ash met her, and to this day he didn't know why.

"Yes! It's disgusting! Please! Get rid of it!"

Ash sighed and searched the bushes. Then, an ariados jumped out of nowhere and landed on Misty's head.

"AAAAAHHH!!!!!" Misty's scream echoed through the whole forest. She ran around in circles, screaming and trying to hit the ariados off.

Finally, the giant spider jumped off her head and scurried away. Misty turned to see that Ash was trying very hard not to laugh.

"You think that was _funny_, don't you?" Misty said angrily.

"Oh, no!" Ash said. He knew what Misty did was she was angry. "No, not at all! It was-pff!-it was horrible!"

Misty took out her mallet and hit Ash on the head. "Still think it's funny!?!"

"Nope…not anymore…" Ash said, lying on the ground.

"Alright, you guys, break it up," Brock said.

Misty put her mallet away and Ash got up. The group kept walking.

"Hey guys, what's that?"

"Huh?" Misty and Brock looked where Ash was pointing. They could just make out a tower in the distance.

"I dunno," Misty said.

"Let's go check it out," said Brock.

So the group walked over to the tower. It got bigger and bigger as they got closer. It was dark out by the time they got there.

The tower was huge. It had a very large bell at the top, and stained glass windows.

"It looks like a steeple," Misty said.

"You guys stay here." Ash said to Misty, Brock and pikachu. He walked over to the door.

"Wait!" Misty argued. "Why should we wait here while you go in?"

"Because! There might be something dangerous," Ash opened the door.

"Ash, what on earth could be in there? It looks like no-one's used it for years!"

"Just let me check, okay!"

"But-"

"Misty! Stay here." Ash walked into the steeple and door closed shut behind him.

Misty looked at the door. Ash had wanted her to be safe, so he went in first. Misty didn't really know it yet, but she had feelings for Ash. Real, deep feelings.

She hoped there was nothing dangerous in there.  
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The door closed shut behind Ash. He looked around. Misty was right. It looked like a steeple. There was carpet that stretched from one end of the room to the other. There were stairs at the other end, too. And a statue.  
Ash walked over to the statue. It was a star. There was also an engraving. Ash read aloud:

"If you are reading this, you are an idiot. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ash noticed a door. He walked through it into a large, empty room. The only thing in this room was a staircase. Ash walked up the stairs into another room with a spiral staircase.

Ash walked up those stairs. It took him a while. They were really long. Ash could only guess this went to the top of the steeple.

When Ash finally got to the top, he was pretty tired. It was dark, but Ash could still make out a trapdoor on the ceiling. He opened it, and a ladder fell down. Ash climbed up.

He was in a very big room. The bell was above him, and there was an armchair and table in the center. There was someone sitting in the armchair, too. A kid who looked like he was in his preteens, with messy brown hair so dark it was almost black, and round glasses. He was about 5 foot 2, and was wearing a black T-shirt with shorts.

So, yeah. He looked like me. Sorry, but this guy is just so great, I couldn't resist making him look like me. Of course, I don't really act like him. But, anyways, let's move on.

"I gotta give you some credit, kid," The boy said. "You've got some nerve comin' up here and disturbing my privacy."

"Who are you? What are you doing in this steeple?"

"I'm Arthur. My friends call me Artie. Of course, when I say friends, I'm speaking hypothetically."

"Why don't you have any friends?"

"Well, I think you'll figure that out soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you my name, now you tell me yours," Arthur said.

"Ketchum. Ash Ketchum."

"Ah, so you're the descendant of that stupid prick who turned me into a ghost in the first place. You know, I never really thanked him properly for that."

"My ancestor turned you into a ghost?"

"Yup. Of course, it's not all bad, and the guy deserves a reward. But now that he's dead, I guess I'm gonna have to give it to you."

"A reward? What kind of reward?"

"Hold on, I'm not done. Actually, I think I'm gonna call you Soot."

"Soot?"

"Yeah, Soot. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because soot…" Arthur punched Ash in the head. "…sounds so much more pathetic…" Arthur kicked Ash in the back, making him fall down. "…than Ash."

Ash lay on the floor, immediately noticing that this guy was not a friend. Arthur kneeled down towards Ash.

"Now, as for your reward…well, here it is." The steeple bell rang loud and clear.

"Huh?" Ash looked around. What had just happened? One minute he was on the floor, next minute he was kneeling, and nobody else was in the room. Where had Arthur gone?

Then Ash noticed a mirror on the other side of the room. He went over there, and couldn't believe what he saw. He wasn't Ash anymore.

Staring back at him was the very person who had got him into this. The very person that had made him look like this.

Ash was looking at Arthur.  
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"Do you think anything happened?" Misty said worriedly to Brock. "I don't like the sound of that bell."

"Maybe we should go check on him…"

"Wait! There he is!"

The door to the steeple opened and Ash walked out.

"There you are, Ash!" Misty said. "Did you find anything?"

"Just some weird kid who thinks he's me. He keeps calling me "Arthur" or something, and thinks that I stole his body. I think he might be insane."

"That's weird," Misty said.

"Do you think we should help him?" Brock suggested.

"I already tried. There's no convincing him. Maybe we should send him to some kind of asylum."

"Maybe…" Then, Misty saw the door open, and out came a kid with dark brown hair and glasses. He looked like he was 11 years old.

"Arthur!" He yelled.

"Oh, here he is again," said Ash. "You two go back, I'll meet you guys there after I deal with this guy."  
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"Are you sure, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Ash!?! What-" Ash's jaw dropped. He was staring himself right in the eye. The other Ash gave a wink. Not only that, but Ash's voice had changed with his body. He now sounded like Arthur too.

"What the hell!?!"

"Go ahead!" Said the other Ash. His voice was the same as Ash's. "I'll take care of him!"

"Well, okay…" Misty walked back with Brock. Once they were out of hearing range, the other Ash turned back to the real Ash.

"Alright, Soot, lemme cut it short for ya."

"Soot!?! So-wait-you're Arthur!?!"

"Damn right, I am."

"But what happened!?!"

"Well, to make a long story short, we switched bods."

"What!?!"

"Yeah, you heard me. Now I'm you and you're me. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Cool!?!" The real Ash yelled, now filing with rage. "I can think of tons of words to describe this, but cool isn't one of them!!! Why'd you do this anyways!?!"

"This is your reward, Soot."

"Reward!?! This isn't a reward!!! This is a curse!!!"

"Call it what you want, but I aint goin' back! I like this body! I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like to be you. Of course, we can't have you following me all the way home, now can we?" Arthur took a pokeball out of his belt and hit Ash on the head with it. Ash fell to the ground and started feeling drowsy.

"Surprisingly strong material, these pokeballs," said Arthur. He put the pokeball back in his belt. "See ya 'round, Soot."

Then, everything went black.  
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You all probably hate Arthur, right? I thought so. If you're wondering why this guy is such a great villain, it's because he _likes _being evil. He doesn't just do it because it's part of his plan. He does it for _fun_.

So that was the first chapter of Artie Ketchum. See you guys in the next chapter!

-Fwingsnitch=D


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, time for the second chapter! I've just made Arthur, and already you guys probably hate him! Now let's keep it rollin'!  
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"Hey guys, how was your trip?" Ash's mom asked as Misty, Brock and "Ash" walked in.

"Well, we met a really weird guy, but other than that, nothing," Arthur said.

"Weird guy?" Mrs. Ketchum asked curiously.

"Yeah, he keeps saying all this weird stuff, and seems to hate me. I don't know why."

"Well, maybe we should call a doctor."

"I tried, but he won't budge."

"Where did you find him?"

"At some weird steeple," Misty said. "Brock and I didn't go in, but Ash did. By the way, Ash, what made that bell ring?"

"Huh? Oh, that. I dunno. It just started ringing all of the sudden. And I kept hearing weird voices in there. I don't think we should go back. It might be haunted or something."

"But we should still try to help the guy, right?" said Brock. "If we can't get him to come willingly, then we'll just have to take him by force."

"Well, I dunno…"  
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"Ugh…" Ash opened his eyes. Where was he? Was he in his room again. No...the ground was hard.

Ash got up. He had to shield his eyes from the blinding sunlight. Once he got used to it, he looked around. He was in front of a giant steeple in the middle of the forest.

"Where the hell am I?" Ash covered his mouth. His voice sounded different.

Then it all came flooding back to him in one horrible memory. He remembered going into the steeple and meeting Arthur. He remembered getting his body stolen, and being knocked out with the pokeball.

And Misty…Brock…they were still with him. They were still with Arthur.

Ash had to get back to them. But he didn't know the way. He decided he had to start somewhere, so he went in the direction he had been facing when he woke up.  
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"So, Ash, what do you plan on doing now?" Misty asked during breakfast.

"Huh?"

"Well, you beat the Sinnoh league," said Brock.

"I did?"

"Yeah, don't you remember? But you lost to Cynthia. I don't blame you, though. She is the champion, after all. But you still did great! You beat the entire elite four! On your first try, too! And you beat Paul!"

"Oh, yeah, right!"

"So, what now? I mean, you've done pretty much every other league."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I could just hang out here for a while."

"Yeah, Ash, that would be great!" Misty said with excitement. Ash was going to stay here! "We could make up for all the time we lost!"

"Uh..yeah! That sounds great!"

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Ash, you seem…different. Are you sure nothing happened in that steeple?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Arthur took another serving of pancakes. "Man, I'm hungry!"

"Well, that hasn't changed," Misty said, rolling her eyes. Still, there was something odd about Ash.

Later that day, Arthur and Misty were out training in the forest.

"Staryu! Water gun!"

"Thunderbolt, pikachu!"

Staryu fired it's water gun. It was cut off by pikachu's thunderbolt, which kept going and hit Staryu, KO'ing it.

"Wow, pikachu! You're strong!" Arthur said.

"Pika!"

"Well, you of all people should know that, Ash," Misty said, calling her Staryu back.

"I know, I was just paying him a compliment. There's nothing wrong with that." Arthur said, kneeling down and rubbing pikachu's head.

"I know, but-AAAAAHHH!!!!!"

"What? What is it?"

"Over there!"

"Huh?" Arthur looked where Misty was pointing. "It's just a weedle. What's so scary about that?"

"Huh? Okay, now I _know _something happened in that steeple. You of all people should know that I hate bugs!"

"You do? I mean, I know you do, but you should really try and get over it. Look." Arthur crawled over to weedle and put his hand out.

"Weedle!" The weedle came over and let Arthur pet him.

"See? Nothing to be afraid about! The least it could do is put you in a web!"

"It can do that? Eek!"

"It's not _actually _going to do that, stupid! Not unless you do something completely crazy."

"Who are you calling stupid!?!"

"Well, it _is _stupid how you're so scared of bugs! I mean, look at him! He's tiny! You could stomp him if you wanted!"

"You know, that's not a bad idea…"

"Okay, go ahead." Arthur got up and stepped back.

"Wait…your actually just going to let me stomp him?"

"If you want to, you can. Personally I don't think you will. You seem to nice for that."

"What do you mean _seem _to nice? You've known me for years!"

"I know, but-"

"Alright, there's definitely something odd about you! You don't seem to remember anything about your past, and you haven't called me "Misty" or "Mist" since you got out of the steeple!"

"Your point?"

"Well, that's my name, Ash! Something must have happened in that steeple! You haven't said Brock's name either, and you're not nearly as enthusiastic about battling as you were before!"

"Well, maybe something did happen, but heck, if it did, I sure don't know about it!"

"Well, tell me what happened. All of it!"

"Well, when I stepped into the steeple, it looked…well, like as steeple. There was a carpet and stairs and stained glass windows. I heard a bunch of weird voices too. They were saying stuff like "Leave now" and "Get out while you can". They kept talking the whole time I was in there.

"Then I saw door on the other end or the room, so I went through it. I ended up in a room with nothing but a staircase in it. So I went up the stairs and came out in a room that looked like a living room.

"And then that weird kid-he was sitting on a sofa, and started yelling at me when I came in. He was saying all this weird stuff-that I stole his body, and he kept calling me Arthur, saying that he was me. He somehow knew a lot about me, though. He knew my birthday, my full name-he knew practically every detail about me. I don't know how.

"And then the bell rang, and next thing I knew, I was walking out of the steeple."

Misty listened throughout this whole story. Once it was over, she just kept looking at Ash very seriously.

"So something must have happened when that bell rang."

"Yeah, but I don't know what! I mean, I don't feel any different…"

"Well, maybe we should try to ask professor Oak about this."

"Uh, yeah, let's do that."

"Do you even remember who professor Oak is?"

"Yeah, yeah, uh…he's a professor…and his name is Oak. That makes him professor Oak."

"My god, something really messed you up. C'mon, let's go."  
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After staying at professor Oak's for a while, Arthur and Misty came back still knowing nothing about what had happened. That is, Misty didn't. Arthur knew everything. But, of course, he wouldn't tell anyone that.

It was about 6:30 when Arthur and Misty got home. They told Ash's mom about the problem, ensured her that it was nothing serious and they could get it fixed, ate dinner, and went to bed. That is, Misty did…  
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Ash could see his house now. He kept running. He really hoped someone was awake. If not, he would just have to wake someone up. They all had to know what had happened. Especially Misty.

Misty… Ash's running slowed at the thought of her. He had never told anyone, but he had developed feelings for the hot-headed redhead.

He didn't know if he was in love with her-he wasn't quite sure what that meant. But he did have feelings for her. And he would have to tell her someday. The fact that he hadn't told her back when they all parted ways had been killing him forever.

Then he decided that he would have to tell her soon, or else it would be too late. After…after all of this he would tell her.

Ash went up into his yard. He had made it. Now he needed to tell everyone that this was not the real Ash. Ash walked towards the door…

"Hey there, Soot!"

"What?" Ash turned around to see himself standing there, holding a banana. It took him a minute to remember that this was actually Arthur.

"Been waitin' for ya."

"What the hell do you want?" Ash said slowly through gritted teeth.

"Not much. Just wanna talk. I mean, I just recently got this body, and already I am _loving _it! Everyone loves me! You never told me you got into every single league in all the regions! You even beat the entire elite four of Sinnoh! And on your first try, too! I gotta say, I'm impressed. Though there are a few things that I'm not used too."

"Such as?"

"Well, first of all, I'm starving!" Arthur took a huge bite of his banana. "All the time!" Though he said it through a mouthful of fruit so it came as "Aw du tum!".

Arthur swallowed his banana. "Oh yeah, and that redhead chick? She is really something! I think I might get something going with her…"

"You stay away from Misty!" Ash couldn't stand the thought of what someone as horrible as Arthur might do to her. "Wait a minute, you're eleven years old! How the hell can you be attracted to her?"

"I might look eleven years old, but I'm actually a lot older. You see, ghosts don't age. And besides, in this body, I'm no younger than you!"

"Well, still, stay away from her!"

"Or what?"

"I'll kill you!" Ash actually meant it. He would do anything he could to keep Arthur away from Misty.

Arthur laughed. It was a horrible, evil laugh that definitely wouldn't have been able to come out of Ash's body if Ash was the one in it. "With what? You're butter-knife wit?"

"Just tell me what you want!"

"I don't want anything! Just to be in this body forever! Though, I gotta say, your friend Misty's getting a little suspicious. She even took me over to that geezer Oak. So I'm afraid to stay in here for good, I might just have to kill you."

"With what?" Ash said, mocking Arthur. "Your butter-knife wit?"

"No," Arthur said, not taking offense. "No, I've got plenty of other ways. For example, wouldn't it be ironic if you got killed by your own pikachu?"

"Pikachu wouldn't kill me! He wouldn't kill anybody!"

"Well, if that's th case, there's plenty of other ways. I'm sure your mom has a carving knife somewhere. If not, I could just pull a Cain and Able and bash you on the head with a rock. There's probably a big enough one somewhere in the forest."

"I hate you."

"Yeah, I'm not too fond of you either, Soot. But I _love _your body! Now, I'm gonna give you until Monday to choose. Do you keep trying to get your body back, and die, or do you live and let live? Think about it, Soot." Arthur walked inside and shut the door.  
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	3. Chapter 3

Okay, third chapter! Let's get going!  
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Chapter 3

Ash had trouble sleeping that night. Since there was no way he would be let into his own home, he had to sleep in the woods. As he lay on the ground, looking up at the trees, a young growlithe walked up to him and rubbed it's nose on his shoulder.

"Hey there, little buddy," Ash said, looking at it. "Sorry, I don't have any food for you." He stroked the growlithe's fur. It purred at lay it's head down on Ash's chest. Ash smiled.

He turned his head back toward the sky, thinking. He could either choose to live on in Arthur's body, and let Arthur take over his life, or he could try to get his body back, and possibly die in the process.

Ash thought about Misty. Maybe she would be able to tell that this wasn't him. Or maybe his mother…or maybe Brock…

Ash sighed. They obviously hadn't, or else they would have come looking for him by now. What would Arthur do to Ash's family? To his friends? And most importantly, to Misty?"

Ash couldn't just live the rest of his life knowing that a second him was somewhere else out there, taking advantage of all the things he had. He just couldn't.

Ash would have to get his body back.

"The question is, how?" Ash said aloud.  
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Misty woke up early the next morning. She went downstairs to find Ash already down there, reading the newspaper. He turned and looked at Misty.

"'Morning, Misty."

"Good morning, Ash," she said, getting herself some cereal. "You know, there's another thing odd about you, Ash."

Arthur looked up from the newspaper.

"You hardly ever wake up early. Usually you sleep in till ten. Not only that, but you never read the newspaper! I mean, occasionally you read the funnies, but…"

"Well, maybe I've decided to change a bit."

"Are you sure you decided to?"

"Yeah. I am. I don't think anything happened in that steeple."

"Then how come you couldn't remember my name?"

"I dunno. Maybe I hadn't gotten enough sleep, or maybe I wasn't paying enough attention."

"I still think something happened to you. And I'm gonna find out."  
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Ash sat on the ground, chucking rocks into the river. Growlithe was still following him. It seemed to really like him.

Ash had been thinking about Arthur and Misty for the whole day.

"Maybe Arthur's right…" he said, thinking aloud again. "Maybe it would be better for everyone if I just stayed in this body."

"Growl?" Growlithe looked up at Ash and frowned. "Growlithe!"

Ash looked down at it. "What, do you think I should try and get my body back? But how?"

"Growlithe!" The growlithe got up and breathed fire into the air.

"So you want to help me?"

"Growlithe!"

"But how? I mean, I can't just kill Arthur. He's in my body."

"Growl…"

"Well, we'll figure out a way!"

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Later on that day, Arthur sat in an armchair in Professor Oak's lab, with Oak standing in front of him, reading different questions off of cards.

"Alright, what is your birthday?"

"Uh…September 7th?"

"Wrong. It's June 21st. What is your mother's name?"

"Uh…Barbra!"

"Wrong! It's Delilah. What was your first pokémon?"

"Pikachu."

"Correct! Why was pikachu your first pokémon."

"Uh…because I caught him?"

"Wrong again! It was because he was the only pokémon left in my lab when you came to get one." Professor Oak put down the cards. "Well, Ash, something definitely happened."

"Could it be amnesia?" Brock said.

"No, he still remembers who he is. And he remembers being in the steeple. He just doesn't seem to remember any of us."

"It seems like he only remembers what happened after we went into the steeple," Misty said. "It had to be that."

"Well, maybe if we went back there we could get his memory back."

"Maybe…"  
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Ash spent the rest of the day trying to think of ways to get his body back. When nighttime came, he back to his house to see if everyone had gone to sleep.

"Come back, huh, Soot?"

Ash looked up to see himself sitting up in a tree, looking down on him. Arthur jumped down.

"Have you made your decision yet?"

"Yeah. I'm not gonna let you keep my body."

Arthur let out another chilling, evil laugh that Ash could never have made. "Good for you, Soot! You've got real confidence!"

"I'm gonna get my body back. I will. I'll find some way."

Arthur laughed again. "Soot, there _is_ no way! Now that I'm in here, you can't get me out. But, like I said, if you want to die trying, that's fine with me."

"You seem like you like to play games. Aren't you gonna give me a hint?"

"Yeah, sure. It's always best for someone to be defeated right when they thought they were gonna win. You know, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Okay, here's your hint: the water can make room for the fire."

"The water can make room for the fire? What kind of a hint is that?"

"A hint that comes from a very clever kid. You seem smart. You could probably figure it out. The question is, will it be too late when you do?"

Arthur walked back inside. "Later, Soot!"

Ash was left standing there, in his yard, all alone, unable to go into his own house. "

"The water can make room for the fire…" Growlithe walked up and looked at Ash. Ash turned to him. "What do you suppose that means?"

"Growlithe…"  
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Misty saw Ash walk back inside.

"What was that?" She said.

"What was what?"

"I heard talking out there. Who's Soot?"

"It was nothing. I was just talking to myself." Ash walked upstairs to bed.

Misty opened the window shades to see the boy from the steeple talking to a young growlithe. Then, they both walked away. Misty didn't know why, but there was something about the boy. Something familiar. As if she had seen him before.

Then she remembered what Ash had said. "He thinks he's me, and that I stole his body somehow. And he keeps calling me Arthur."

"What if he was right?" Misty said aloud. "What if someone really did steal Ash's body?"  
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And that's the third chapter! I know it was short, but I got writers block. Hope you liked it!

-Fwingsnitch=D


	4. Chapter 4

OMG GUYS I AM SOSOSOSOSO SORRY!!!!! I didn't realize I had this in my document uploads for this long! Oh well it's posted now so just read it and review!  
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Chapter 4

Ash lay awake that night, thinking about Arthur's strange hint.

"'The water can make room for the fire'…" Ash looked at growlithe. "What do you think it means?"

"Growl…"

Ash looked up at the stars. What on earth did Arthur mean?  
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Misty couldn't sleep either that night. She kept thinking about Ash…about that other kid…

There was definitely something odd about that kid. As if Misty knew him, like he was an old friend. But she couldn't figure out why.

And Ash…he had been acting really weird. Misty knew something had happened in the steeple, but she was starting to think that maybe someone really _had _stolen Ash's body. Someone named Arthur. It would explain a lot. It would explain why Ash couldn't remember anything, and why he was acting so different. He looked different, too. There was sort of look in his eyes. A look Misty had never seen before. It was a look of evil...of success…and if someone had stolen Ash's body then that would explain everything. But just the idea was hard to grasp. I mean, how does one get their _body _stolen?

Misty rolled over, closed her eyes, and tried to get some sleep.  
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Ash woke up. He had had a dreamless sleep that night. The sun was yet again shining brightly. Growlithe had its head on Ash's chest. Ash smiled. He liked this growlithe. And it obviously liked him.

Ash slowly pushed growlithe off his chest, trying not to wake him. It didn't work. Growlithe opened its eyes and stood up. Ash got up too.

He was starving. He hadn't eaten a thing yesterday. he looked around the forest for something to eat. He found an apple tree and managed to get some down. He took a bite into a juicy apple. Man, did it taste good. He gave growlithe an apple too. It ate it happily.  
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Misty kept a close eye on Ash that morning, to see if he did anything suspicious. He still had that evil glint in his eyes.

"So, Ash," she said during breakfast, "you wanna do some training today?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could take a little walk in the woods. Just you and me."

Misty frowned. "Well, okay…"

Ash took another spoonful of cereal and continued to read the newspaper. That was strange. Ash never passed up an opportunity to train with his pokémon. And he almost never read the newspaper. He occasionally read the funnies, but that was all.

"I'm gonna go do some training with my pokémon," Misty said, clearing her place.

"Okay," Ash said, "have fun."

Misty put her pokeballs in her belt and walked out the door.

"Staryu, water gun! Starmie, dodge it!"

The pokémon obeyed. Staryu fired the water gun and starmie dodged it. Then, Misty heard a cry of pain from where the water gun had shot.

"Oh no!" She ran over and looked through the trees to see the boy from the steeple lift the same growlithe from before out of a lake.

"Growlithe, are you okay!?!"

"Growl…"

"That was a water gun…" the boy looked in the direction of the water and saw Misty.

"Huh? Misty? What are you doing here?"

Misty walked over and put her hand on the growlithe. "I was just doing some training. Is it okay?"

"I think so. But I'd better get him over to the Pokémon Center." The boy stood up.

"Wait!" Misty called after him as he walked away. The boy turned around.

"Yeah?"

"How did you know my name is Misty?"

The boy smiled. "Because I know you, Mist. And you know me. You just don't know it." With that, the boy ran away towards the Pokémon Center. Misty stood there, thinking.

Who was this boy? What did he mean she knew him? And how did he know her? He seemed a lot like Ash. He had the same care for his pokémon. She wondered even more if this could really be Ash in a different body.  
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Ash ran into the pokémon center, growlithe in his hands. It was very weak.

He ran up to the counter. "Nurse Joy, can you please help my growlithe?"

"Of course!" Nurse Joy said with her usual concern. She typed some things in the computer and two chanseys came in, pushing one of those things that the people at hospitals lie on. I forget what they're called.

Nurse joy put the growlithe down on the thing. The chanseys rolled off with it into some unknown room.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please tell me!" Ash said.

"There's nothing you can do," Nurse Joy said. "You'll just have to wait. Your growlithe will be fine. But I must ask what happened to get it in such bad condition."

"It was accidentally hit with a water gun and fell into a lake," Ash said.

"Well, that explains a lot. Yes, it should be better in a few hours. Just give it some time to rest."

"Okay."  
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Ash sat on the couch in the Pokémon Center, waiting for growlithe to get better. He heard the door open. He looked up. His eyes widened when he saw Misty walk in. She walked over and sat down next to him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi."

"How's your growlithe?"

"He's fine. Just needs some rest."

"I'm sorry I hit it with that water gun. It was just doing some training, and I didn't know there was anybody else out there."

"It's okay," Ash said, smiling. "Really. I know it was a mistake."

Misty smiled. "What's your name, kid?"

Ash's smile faded. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Lemme guess, you're going to say that you're Ash."

"How did you know?"

"My friend told me that you thought you were him. He also said that you would call him Arthur if you ever saw him."

Ash chuckled. "Yup. He's pretty smart."

"I'm starting to think you might be right."

Ash's eyes widened. This he hadn't been expecting.

"Ash has been acting really…odd. It started right when we left that steeple. He doesn't seem nearly excited about pokémon as he used to be, and he has this weird evil glint in his eyes. He doesn't seem to remember anything either."

Ash smiled. Misty was starting to figure it out.

"But you…you seem exactly like him. You've got that same aura of confidence around you, and you love pokémon, just like Ash." Misty looked into the boys eyes.

"Tell me…tell me something that only Ash would say."

"Misty," Ash said slowly, "I love you."  
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End of chapter! Man, that was hard. Okay, so I hope you guys like it!


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, I'm back with another chapter! Man, this is getting hard to write! I hope you guys still like it!  
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Chapter 5

_"Tell me…tell me something only Ash would say."_

_"Misty," Ash said slowly, "I love you."_

Misty's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. She couldn't help it. She had not been expecting those words to come out of the boy's mouth. Ash knew what she was thinking and tried his best to explain.

"Just wait for second! Let me finish! If I really was just some crazy kid, I would have only known you for about 15 minutes! Nobody falls in love in 15 minutes!"

"I…I…" Misty didn't know what to think.

"Misty," Ash held her hands. "I can prove that I'm Ash. If I wasn't, how would I know this? My birthday is June 21st. My mom's name is Delilah. I got pikachu because I was late for the pokémon giveaway. You're one of the Cerulean city gym leaders, and you have 3 older sisters named Lily, Daisy, and Violet. I met you because you fished me out of a river when I was getting chased by spearows, and you started following me because I stole your bike and then pikachu fried it. We traveled together through Kanto with Brock, the Pewter city gym leader, than you and I went to the orange islands and met Tracy. After that Brock came with us again and we went traveling in Johto, and then you both had to leave and I set off to Hoenn. You came to visit there once because you had gotten a letter about a togepi contest, but it turned out to be a trick and togepi evolved and you left it at the mirage kingdom."

Misty was speechless. She had no idea what to think or say. She let go of Ash's hands and stood up.

"I…I need to…I need to go…"

"Misty?"

Ash watched as Misty left the pokémon center.

"I sure hope she believed that."  
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Misty slammed the door behind her and leaned against the wall. She had just gotten way more information than she had been looking for.

"Misty?"

"Huh?" Misty looked up and saw Ash standing there, looking at her. At least, she hoped it was Ash.

"What's wrong?" The question didn't sound like one of care, but one of curiosity.

Misty stood up straight. "Ash…I need to ask you something."

"Sure."

"Are you really Ash?"

"What do you mean?"

"I met the kid from the steeple."

"What!?!" Ash's eyes widened. He frowned. "Misty, you're not saying you actually believe him, are you?"

"I don't know…he seems just like Ash…and you…you…don't."

Ash gritted his teeth. "Misty, you can't believe anything that kid tells you, you hear me!?! Nothing! Don't believe a word he says!"

Misty's eyes widened and she quickly nodded her head. She had never heard Ash use that amount of force before. Ash walked towards the door.

"I'm going to go take a walk in the woods."

Misty was going to tell him to let her come too, but she thought of a better idea. She didn't have to tell him that she was coming.

Ash walked out the door. Misty followed him, being sure not to make a noise.  
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Ash stood outside the steeple, looking up at it. He didn't know why he was here. He had just felt like coming here. Growlithe was still at the pokémon center. Ash just kept looking up at the huge tower where his body had been stolen. He hoped he could get it back soon.

"Nice place, huh?"

"Huh?" Ash turned around to see Arthur standing there, grinning. He balled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. He felt like ripping Arthur's throat out.

"I gotta say, Soot, I didn't expect you to figure out my hint in so short of time. I guess that just proves how smart you are."

Ash was about to say he hadn't figured out Arthur's hint yet, but then he figured he shouldn't reveal that weakness.

"But it also proves that I shouldn't be too patient with you. I guess I was wrong to give you so much time. Doesn't matter anyways, though."

"What are you talking about?"

"What do you think I'm talking about? I'm gonna finish you off. I've should've just killed you from the start. Oh well. Better late than never."

Ash smiled, trying to act confident, when he was really as worried as he could get. "She knows. Misty knows that you're not really me."

"…Which is exactly why I'm gonna kill you. Even if she _does _know, you can't get your body back if you're dead. And once you're gone, she'll think I'm the real you. Don't ask me how that works. I never figured it out. But once the real you is gone, I'll take your place, and nobody will think I'm different. Pretty cool, huh?"

Ash glared at Arthur. He had never hated anybody this much. Not even Paul.

"And, seeing as this Misty girl is totally in love with you…"

It was then that Ash snapped. He lunged for Arthur. Arthur wasn't expecting this and was knocked to the ground. Ash repeatedly punched Arthur in the face, yelling at him between punches.

"You…son of a…bitch!" Ash grabbed Arthur's throat. He wasted to kill him. He really did. He wanted Arthur dead. Arthur stared up at him.

"You can take away my body-you can even take away my _life_! But nobody, I repeat _nobody _takes Misty away from me!"

Arthur did something Ash hadn't expected. He smiled. He actually smiled.

"Care to test that theory, Soot?"

Then Arthur did something that Ash couldn't believe. If he hadn't seen it for himself, he wouldn't have believed it. Arthur sank into the ground. Yes, he actually sank. As if he was sinking into water. He went into the ground, leaving Ash kneeling there, stunned. Then Arthur came back out behind Ash and kicked him in the butt. Ash fell to the ground and rolled over to look up at Arthur, who had an evil smile on his face.

"It's a shame, really. You were so close." Arthur stuck out his hand and lifted Ash up in the air by the neck without even touching him. Ash could feel his lungs compressing.

"Poor, poor Soot. Did you really think you could beat me? I'm already dead. I'm a ghost! You can't hurt me!"

Ash couldn't breathe. He knew he was going to die.

"Now it's time for you to experience what I had to go through. Death!"

Ash's vision was getting blurry. He knew this was the end.

And that's when it happened.  
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CLIFFHANGER!!!!! Sorry it took me so long! In case you didn't already know, the next chapter will be the last. Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, last chapter! I hope you guys don't hate it!  
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Chapter 5

WHAM!!!!!!!!!!

Ash fell to the ground, not sure what just happened. He looked up to see Arthur staggering backwards, clutching his head, wincing. He looked and saw what had caused it.

Misty was standing there, smiling down at him, holding her mallet.

"I know you're Ash now."

Ash grinned. She knew. Misty helped him up. They both turned and glared at Arthur, who glared back.

"I don't care if you know! You can't stop me!" Arthur stuck out his arms and lifted Ash and Misty into the air, choking them.

"I don't care about taking over your life anymore! I just want to kill you! And I will!" Arthur had lost it now. There was fire in his eyes, and he was letting out all his rage.

"Ash!" Misty gasped. "I love you!"

Then, something huge and orange pounced out of the bushes and onto Arthur. Ash and Misty fell on their butts. They looked up and saw an arcanine on top of Arthur, growling at him.

"Ash…" Misty said in disbelief, "is that…"

"It can't be," Ash said. "I never gave it a fire stone."

Arthur looked up at the arcanine with something on his face Ash had never seen on Arthur.

Fear. Arthur actually looked scared. No, not just scared-terrified! Arthur was staring up at the beast as if he was about to die-maybe he was. For real this time

"No…no, please…"

Then Ash got it. "The water makes room for the fire…of course!" Ash got up. "Arcanine! Fire blast!"

Arcanine spat a huge blast of fire at Arthur. He screamed. It was horrible. Then, when it ended, Arthur was gone. Just like that. He had disappeared. He was gone.

"Is he dead?" Misty said, getting up.

"I think so."

"Aaah!" Misty screamed, because it wasn't the boy next to her that had said it. It was Ash's real body. She looked beside her to see the boy was gone. He had just disappeared.

"Huh?" Ash sat up. He was back in his real body! He wiggled his fingers and stroked his hair. He smiled and laughed. He got up.

"I'm back! It worked! The water makes room for the fire! I figured it out!"

"Huh?"

"Arthur! He gave me a hint! I get it now! You're a water trainer! The water is you! And then when you figured out that he wasn't me…it must have weakened him somehow! And then Arcanine hit him with fire and he's gone! We did it!"

Misty smiled, even though she didn't really understand what Ash had said. Then her smiled faded. She looked down at her feet.

"Misty?" Ash walked up and put his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong."

"It wasn't you. I should have known. But I didn't. I didn't know it wasn't you. I couldn't tell." Misty was starting to cry now. "I'm sorry, Ash. It's okay if you hate me. I can't imagine what it must have been like. I don't deserve you."

Ash smiled. "I don't care," Ash said. "I don't care what you did. I love you anyways. And if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't have been able to tell either."

Misty looked up, tears in her eyes, but for a different reason now. "Really?...You…you forgive me?"

Ash nodded. "It doesn't matter. I'll always love you, no matter what."

"Oh…Ash…" Misty turned and put her hands on Ash's cheeks. "You're so kind…so forgiving…I think that's what I love the most about you."

Ash put his arms around Misty's waist. She slid her hands down and put her arms around his neck.

"Ash…I love you so much…"

"I love you too, Misty."

The two slowly moved their heads closer and puckered up. Inches…centimeters…millimeters…they each tilted their heads and then, finally, their lips met. It started out with tight lips, then slowly, they opened up and it turned into a full-on, tongues brawling make-out. Ash savored every second of it. He just wanted to do it forever. Misty's round breasts were pressed against his chest, her hard breathing making them move up and down. The two kissed to what must have been at least 5 minutes. Then, reluctantly, they unlocked lips. They were still holding each other as close as possible, but they were no longer kissing. They looked into each other's eyes. They didn't have to say anything. They were both thinking the same thing. They loved each other.

Later on, Ash and Misty walked home. When they got inside, they were greeted by Ash's mom.

"Hello, you two. Are you feeling any better, Ash?"

Ash and Misty were both grinning. "Much. I'm all better now."

"Really? What was it that helped you?"

Ash paused for a minute, trying to think of a good answer. He told the truth.

"Misty."

"Misty?" Ash's mom looked at Misty curiously. She nodded and kissed Ash on the cheek, and that told it all.  
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The end! I hope you guys liked it! Review!

-Fwingsnitch=D


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